James – in concert at Eurockéennes Festival 1991 – Belfort, France – RTL – Paris
James this holiday weekend. In concert during the 1991 Eurockéennes Festival in Belfort France on June 23, 1991 and broadcast live by RTL in Paris.
Revisiting this concert after many years, I am still struck by how profound James were in the grand scheme of things. It further adds proof the 90s were a mostly underrated decade for music – and there was a lot going on – much of it missed the mainstream and even MTV. Tim Booth adds the perfect balance between pathos and joy in his singing, mindful not to spill over into high-drama, which would be very easy to do in lesser hands. Belting is easy – conveying a true and heart-felt emotion is hard to pull off in subtle fashion; those emotions that get under your skin and stay there, but the results are striking, and Booth is a master at it.
It points up to the fact that a lot was going on in that decade and much of it was surveying new territory or revisiting older genres with fresh eyes. It’s a decade that needs to be scrutinized more carefully – there are a lot of misplaced gems to be found.
James are still together, reuniting in 2007 after Tim Booth left in 2001 and they have gone on to tour regularly and released their 18th album, All The Colours Of You in June of 2021.
If you aren’t familiar with this band, it would do you wonderfully well to check them out, particularly with the early 90s material as a stepping off point. Hopefully this glimpse of the band in 1991 will be the catalyst to get you exploring.
Enjoy the weekend. Play loud.
As you know, we’ve suspended indefinitely our ads in order to make Past Daily a better experience for you without all the distractions and pop-ups. Because of that, we’re relying more on your support through Patreon to keep us up and running every day. For as little as $5.00 a month you can make a huge difference as well as be able to download all of our posts for free (news, history, music). You’ll see a banner just below. Click on that and become a subscriber – it’s easy, painless and does a world of good.
